Initially, Land Rover referred just to a vehicle; the original jeep-like Rover off-roader launched in 1948. However, as the range expanded, so Land Rover became a marque in its own right, with vehicles such as the Range Rover, Defender, Freelander and Discovery sheltering under its badge.

Historically an inseparable part of Rover, the marque was sold to Ford in 2000 when owner BMW broke the company up and became closely connected with Jaguar during its Blue Oval days. However, Ford’s financial troubles caused it to sell both to Indian conglomerate Tata; with the acquisition of Land Rover came the rights to the parent Rover name as well.